User Profiles as a Basis for an Electronic Statistical Consulting System

User profiles, which personalize applications, are an important factor in designing on-line computer systems. This study targets user profiles to better understand the interactive process of users and consultants in social science research studies. Definition of such profiles should be a basis for designing an electronic consulting system. The results of an empirical survey of both users and statistical consultants are presented. Questionnaires and interview were used to identify the different perceptions of using statistics, analysis tools, typical hypotheses, interpretation of results, and related topics. The findings shed light on the users of statistical systems and the role of the consultant in supporting the conduct of a research study. We found that the majority of users possess only a basic course in statistics, find difficulty in stating their problem, and two-thirds of them use consultants to define and design their study. The implication for an electronic consulting system are that such systems should pay attention to the initial research problem definition and should use a system-initiated question/answer approach to elicit problem information from the users. Based on the findings, design guidelines are presented for an electronic consulting system that can bridge the gap between the user and the wide range of statistical methods available in commercial packages

Special Libraries, January 1966

Volume 57, Issue 1https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1966/1000/thumbnail.jp

Mechanism Deduction from Noisy Chemical Reaction Networks

We introduce KiNetX, a fully automated meta-algorithm for the kinetic analysis of complex chemical reaction networks derived from semi-accurate but efficient electronic structure calculations. It is designed to (i) accelerate the automated exploration of such networks, and (ii) cope with model-inherent errors in electronic structure calculations on elementary reaction steps. We developed and implemented KiNetX to possess three features. First, KiNetX evaluates the kinetic relevance of every species in a (yet incomplete) reaction network to confine the search for new elementary reaction steps only to those species that are considered possibly relevant. Second, KiNetX identifies and eliminates all kinetically irrelevant species and elementary reactions to reduce a complex network graph to a comprehensible mechanism. Third, KiNetX estimates the sensitivity of species concentrations toward changes in individual rate constants (derived from relative free energies), which allows us to systematically select the most efficient electronic structure model for each elementary reaction given a predefined accuracy. The novelty of KiNetX consists in the rigorous propagation of correlated free-energy uncertainty through all steps of our kinetic analyis. To examine the performance of KiNetX, we developed AutoNetGen. It semirandomly generates chemistry-mimicking reaction networks by encoding chemical logic into their underlying graph structure. AutoNetGen allows us to consider a vast number of distinct chemistry-like scenarios and, hence, to discuss assess the importance of rigorous uncertainty propagation in a statistical context. Our results reveal that KiNetX reliably supports the deduction of product ratios, dominant reaction pathways, and possibly other network properties from semi-accurate electronic structure data.Comment: 36 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

OCRIS : online catalogue and repository interoperability study. Final report

The aims and objectives of OCRIS were to: • Survey the extent to which repository content is in scope for institutional library OPACs, and the extent to which it is already recorded there; • Examine the interoperability of OPAC and repository software for the exchange of metadata and other information; • List the various services to institutional managers, researchers, teachers and learners offered respectively by OPACs and repositories; • Identify the potential for improvements in the links (e.g. using link resolver technology) from repositories and/or OPACs to other institutional services, such as finance or research administration; • Make recommendations for the development of possible further links between library OPACs and institutional repositories, identifying the benefits to relevant stakeholder groups

Harnessing Collaborative Technologies: Helping Funders Work Together Better

This report was produced through a joint research project of the Monitor Institute and the Foundation Center. The research included an extensive literature review on collaboration in philanthropy, detailed analysis of trends from a recent Foundation Center survey of the largest U.S. foundations, interviews with 37 leading philanthropy professionals and technology experts, and a review of over 170 online tools.The report is a story about how new tools are changing the way funders collaborate. It includes three primary sections: an introduction to emerging technologies and the changing context for philanthropic collaboration; an overview of collaborative needs and tools; and recommendations for improving the collaborative technology landscapeA "Key Findings" executive summary serves as a companion piece to this full report

“Discover your own Ireland”: Virtual Ireland(s) for an international audience

Copyright @ 2009 University of GlasgowThe opening years of the twenty-first century can be characterised by the increased overlap between cyberspace and the physical world; virtual reality is more real than it has ever been. The rising popularity of web 2.0 forms of self-expression and user generated content such as Facebook, MySpace and blogging have resulted in it becoming the largest growth area on the internet. This essay hopes to explore how the uptake and familiarity with web technology by Irish people has overflowed into their lives and cultural expressions via the use of ‘virtual communities’. As the forums for representing the virtual self continue to evolve and multiply, debates over the multiple meanings of Irishness will thrive as the ‘new Irish’ continue to reinterpret the complexities of their identity using web technology

A personalized and context-aware news offer for mobile devices

For classical domains, such as movies, recommender systems have proven their usefulness. But recommending news is more challenging due to the short life span of news content and the demand for up-to-date recommendations. This paper presents a news recommendation service with a content-based algorithm that uses features of a search engine for content processing and indexing, and a collaborative filtering algorithm for serendipity. The extension towards a context-aware algorithm is made to assess the information value of context in a mobile environment through a user study. Analyzing interaction behavior and feedback of users on three recommendation approaches shows that interaction with the content is crucial input for user modeling. Context-aware recommendations using time and device type as context data outperform traditional recommendations with an accuracy gain dependent on the contextual situation. These findings demonstrate that the user experience of news services can be improved by a personalized context-aware news offer

The 18/30 GHz fixed communications system service demand assessment. Volume 1: Executive summary

The total demand for voice, video, and data communications services, and satellite transmission services at the 4/6 GHz, 12/14 GHz, and 18/30 GHz frequencies is discussed. Major study objectives, overall methodology, results, and general observations about a satellite systems market characteristics and trends are summarized

Analyzing the patterns of ICT utilization for online public participatory planning in Queensland, Australia

Public participation in urban planning includes involving, informing, and consulting the public in planning, management, and other decision-making activities. It is an important part of the planning process, providing opportunity and encouragement for members of the public to express their views. Despite the usefulness of new technologies, however, the majority of Internet and GIS applications have not been very successful in encouraging significant public participation. One reason for this is the lack of readiness in accepting ICTs, both on the part of planning agencies, such as local councils, and members of the public. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the readiness of local councils in Queensland, Australia, to implement online urban planning. Local government authorities (LGAs) comprise the third tier of government in Australia. In Queensland, the local councils have statutory powers over land use zoning and the development approval processes. LGAs develop and implement strategic and local plans, including those for land use. This article considers the extent to which local councils are willing to embrace ICTs as a public participation tool and the extent to which households might be ready to access new computer technologies

Special Libraries, Summer 1992

Volume 83, Issue 3https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1992/1002/thumbnail.jp